Strand-separating machine.



E. R. TILLINGHAST. STRAND SEPARATING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 13, 1912.

1,1 17,724. Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

8 SHEETS-SHEET l.

gum $1 THE NORRIS PETERS C0. PHOTO-L|THOU WASHINGIOM D. C.

E. R. TILLINGHAST. STRAND SEPARATING MACHINE.

APYLIOATION TILED MAR. 13, 1912.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

HIE NORQ| F'F'TERS cu, PHOTO LITHOU WASHINGIOM D c E. R. TILLINGHAST. STRAND SEPARATING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1912.

l ,1 1 7,724. Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

GI/VW 8W v 6 2 W 67W @Jww ELBERT R. TILLINGHAST, OF UPPER MON TCLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

STRAND-SEPARATING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Application filed March 13, 1912. Serial No. 683.457.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ennnn'r R. TILLING- HAs'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Upper Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Strand-Separating Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a machine for shredding or disintegrating fabric, such for example, as carpet; for untangling or separating fibers or strands generally, said machine being particularly adapted for forming waste suitable for use in car journal boxes and analogous devices.

The invention further contemplates the cleaning of such fibers or strands from dust, and the like.

Attempts have been made heretofore to ravel carpet strips along the edges of such strips for the purpose of making rugs in a well known manner; the machine merely picking at the strands in the vicinity of the edges and not being at all adapted to properly pull the entire fabric apart where by to form, for example, waste. As the raveling or fraying has usually been con ducted heretofore, the resulting strands, particularly from the weft, and frequently also those from the warp, have been cut or broken into irregular lengths and many of these lengths have been objectionably short for purposes for which they have been intendcd. Indeed in some cases the strands were purposely mutilated badly, as by being chopped into short lengths, in order to effect the subsequent separation of the same.

It is the object of the present invention therefore to provide means for so handling fabric that its warp and weft threads may be separated from each other with a minimum amount of breakage; practically all of the strands obtained being of considerable length. It is obvious that when a pick is driven into fabric several strands distant from the edge and pulled, let us say, in the direction of the warp toward such edge, the weft strands while being stripped tend to bind or pinch the warp therebetween by the very action of attempting to remove said weft strands; this being due to the reverse curves or oppositely arranged bights in adjacent weft strands, as well as to the bights in the warp. As a result of this pinching or wedging action excessive stress is placed upon the threads or strands being separated and in consequence either the warp strands or some of the weft will break. This tendency to breakage of the strands becomes more pronounced the farther into the body of the fabric the picking operation proceeds; the exposed warp, further, tangling badly.

I have found that if, for example, weft strands, and preferably but a single one of said strands, be picked or pulled, starting, for example, at one side of a relatively wide strip of fabric, such as carpet; and if thereafter the same weft thread or strand be engaged or picked at a point along its length relatively adjacent the first, but spaced therefrom, while thereafter a still further inwardly (or outwardly, as the case may be) positioned point is similarly directly engaged, and such successive engagement be continued in substantially like manner, at preferably regularly spaced intervals along the length of the weft, such threads may be stripped from the warp, especially if the picking operation be rapidly conducted, with practically a minimum breakage of the weft or warp. In other words, I have found that the best way to ravel the weft is to positively engage a thread thereof successively along spaced points in such thread while continuing to exert a pulling, or, which is in effect the same thing, a pushing effort upon such points after they have been so engaged, until such weft thread or a considerable portion thereof, has been freed from the warp. The fabric should hence preferably be picked along lines more or less obliquely disposed with respect to the general line of the warp as originally located in the fabric. In stating that I prefer to so engage a single strand at a time I do not desire necessarily to be limited to a single thread, since in weaving carpets it is common, but not universal, to weave, for example, two or even more threads of weft between the warp in such manner that the curvatures of these laterally contacting weft threads are practically identical; and it is obvious that two such conforming threads substantially in contact with each other, cannot pinch the warp therebetween when being removed from the fabric, so that I may regard two such threads as practically a single strand. I am aware too, that various modifications and changes may be made in the herein described mechanism without departing from the spirit of my invention, and

hence do not desire to be limited except by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Tn the drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, I have exemplified a preferred mechanism which, for reasons above stated, is to "be considered merely by way of exemplification. I h

Referring to said drawings: Figurel is a vertical transverse section of said mechanism taken on the line I I of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan of said mechanism, partly broken away, for purposes of illustration. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of said mechanism.

A suitable base frame or support 1 carries upright plates or frames 2 on either side thereof. J ournaled in the forward end of these side frames or uprights is a shaft 3 which carries a drum 4, outwardly extending from which, and preferably disposed in staggered relationship therearound, are a series of picks 5. These picks preferably have the points thereof relatively inclined toward the respective paths of movement-of said picks. The shaft 3 is driven by means of a pinion 5 which is in mesh with a gear 6; the latter being mounted upon the corresponding extremity of a driving shaft 7. Shaft 7 is also journaled in the uprights 2 and carries upon its outer extremity a pulley 8. Intermediate the pulley .8 and the adjacent frame or upright 2 is a pinion 9,.which is in mesh with a gear 10 mounted upon a shaft 11. This shaft extends through and is also journaled in the side frames 2 and jecting therefrom a series of pins 12 each of which is adapted for engagement with a lug 13. Each of these lugs projects inwardly from the inner wall of a pressure roll 14; a number of these rolls-being provided substantially concentric, but out of engagement with, the shaft 11, other than through the intermediation of the pins 12 and lugs 13. Each of the pressure rolls 14 is revolubly mounted upon a flanged sleeve 15 downwardly projecting from the respective lowermost edges of which are arms 16. The arms 16 of each rcll may be integrally connected together by a yoke portion 17, so that the general contour of the element so formed is substantially U-shaped. The base of-the U or yoke 1'7 firmly secured to the short and upwardly directed arm 18 of a bell'lever, broadly designated 19. One of these levers is provided for each of the rolls 14, and the said levers are loosely mounted upon the driving shaft 7. The longarm 20;of each of said levers is adapted for engagement upon one side thereof with-a stop 21 whichis preferably adjustable, and upon the other side with a second adjustable stop 22. A. spring 23 connected to the free end of the arm 20 tends to hold said arm normally up against its stop 21, which, of course, drives the corresponding pressure roll 14 forward ed thereto.

has outwardly prodownwardly therefrom into definite spaced relationship with respect to the drum 4. In practice the rolls 14 are thus moved forwardly so as to just clear the points of the picks 5, this being, T find,'the best arrangement of the parts in question, although I do not wish to be limit- Each of the springs 23, of which there is preferably one for each roll 14, is fastened at its upper extremity to a cross-bar 24 which extends between the uprights 2. Immediately above this bar is a conveyer 25 of any suitable description; that exemplified comprising a belt 26, or the like,

to which are secured transversely a plurality a of apron strips 27; this belt passing around a drum or pulley 28 mounted upon a shaft 29, journaled in the frames 2, aforesaid. The conveyor is intended to carry the strips or sections of fabric, 6. g. carpet, toward the pressure or feed rolls 14, the carpet, if that bej the fabric to be disintegrated passing from the apron strips over onto the upper side of these pressure rolls. It is pressed downwardly upon said rolls by a set of upper feed rolls 28, each of which is rotatably mounted upon a pair of sleeves 29. These sleeves or bushingsproject laterally and inwardly from the side arms 30 of the somewhat D-shaped levers, broadly designated 31. These levers are pivoted upon a crossbar 32 above and somewhat to one side of the rolls 14, and the outer or free extremities of the said levers each carry a stud 33 upon which is screwed a weight 34. It is obvious that each of these weights normally urges its corresponding roll 28 downwardly toward certain of the pressure rolls 14 above referred to. In practice I have found it convenientto provide a less number of rolls 23 than ofrolls 14, so that, as shown, there are three pressure rolls 14 for each feed roll 28. Rolls 28 are each grooved circumferentially as at 35 for the reception of spring fingers 36, the function of which is to aid in straightening out and properly positioning the fabric between the feed rolls, fingers 36 being so shaped that they may engage the fabric slightly before it encounters the .upper rolls so as to remove crinkles therefrom. Each of these fingers is secured at its upper extremity to a channel bar 37, and projects through one of the grooves 35 and is reversely curved around so as to hug fairly closely a portion of the outer surface ofvthe roll 14 immediately therebeneath, preferably stopping just short of the inner face of a pressure piece or plate 38. This plate is held in position upon and between the uprights 2 in any suitable manner, and in cross-section is somewhat V- shaped as shown in Fig. 1; the lower edge, or apex of the V, 39 extending in parallelism with. and quite closely adjacent to the surfaces of the pressure rolls 14 when in their forward positions. It will be observed also that the picks or teeth .5 should preferably just clear this edge 39, which preferably is very slightly rounded. The pressure plate 38 has therein a series of ducts 40 which open upon the forward or outer side of the pressure piece quite near the edge 39; these ducts being in communication with a pipe 41, or the like, through which may be supplied a suitable pressure fluid, such, for example, as compressed air, from a pipe 42 which extends upwardly adjacent one end of the pressure plate.

The upper rolls 28 are normally substantially concentric with a shaft 43 which extends in parallelism with the ether shafts and is also journaled in the uprights 2, said shaft having secured to one extremity thereof a spur-gear 44. This gear is in engagement with a corresponding gear 45 mounted upon a spindle 46, which is journalcd in the right hand upright 2 as viewed in Fig. 2, said stud being rotarily driven through the instrumentality of a sprocket 47 upon the outer extremity thereof, a sprocket 48 upon the corresponding extremity of the shaft 11 and a chain 49 connecting said sprockets. The shaft 43 has therein a series of pins 50 which correspond to pins 12 of the shaft 11 previously referred to, pins 50 slidably engaging lugs 51 upon the inner sides of the upper rolls 23 in the same fashion in which the pins 12 engage the lugs 13.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows: Assumin that a section of carpet, for example, has been placed upon the conveyer 25 so that its weft extends substantially although, it may be here stated, preferably not exactly, in parallelism with the several shafts above referred to, and that the said section of carpet has been advanced until it rides upwardly upon the feed rolls 14. fi its forward edge approaches the upper feed rolls it will first engage the spring fingers 3 which will tend to flatten out any crinkles or unevenness therein, the edge of the fabric thereafter passing between the upper and lower feed rolls. The lower rolls are preferably roughened as shown in Fig. 1, to better adapt them for gripping engagement with the fabric, and the latter is then advanced toward the edge 39 of the pressure plate, the spring fingers 36 still continuing to exert a beneficent action thereupon, maintainim the fabric or mate rial in close contact with the rolls 14 and guiding it toward the gripping edge 39 of the pressure plate. The rear wall of this plate, with which the carpet so advanced comes into engagement, flares upwardly away from the pressure rolls 14 and thereby is enabled to exert a wedging action upon the fabric; the fabric being pinched harder against the lower or pressure rolls as the edge 39 of the pressure piece is approached.

At the instant that the edge of the carpet emerges around this preferably relatively sharp edge 39, it tends to curl upwardly slightly owing to the wiping action of the pressure piece.

It will be understood, of course, that the respective feed rolls and the picking drum are being driven by power transmitted from the pulley S; the picking drum, which advances in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3, being driven through the instrumentality of the gears 5 and 6; while the shaft 11 is driven through the intermediation of the gears 9 and 10; and the rolls 28 by means of the chain and sprocket connection, and gears 44 and 45.

The strands of the weft as they emerge from beneath the edge 39 are engaged by the picks 5, which latter are preferably bent as shown, to be better adapted for engageine with said strands individually, and by reason of the staggered disposition of the picks, preferably but a single one thereof penetrates the fabric at a given instant. The particular reasons for so disposing the picks will be hereinafter more fully discussed.

The upper pressure rolls 28 bear relatively lightly against the upper surface of the fabric, but with sufficient force to drive it snugly into engagement with the lower rolls so as to advance it toward the pressure plate in the manner previously described; and the pressure which these upper rolls exert may be adjusted to a nicety by means of the adjustable weights 34. The

shaft 43 rotates these upper rolls by reason of the engagement of the pins 50, carried thereby, with the lugs 51; but if, for example, a lump, tangled mass, seam, or hem be encountered in the fabric or material one or more of the upper rolls will at once yield, the corresponding weights 34 being slightly elevated. It is for this reason that the flexible drive between these rolls and their driving shaft 43 has been provided, since it is obvious that it is mechanically undersirable to displace this driving shaft. Furthermore, it will be seen that if the thickening of the fabric or material be local rather than across the entire width thereof, but a single, or perhaps two or three upper rolls will be elevated, the remaining rolls being undisturbed.

In corresponding fashion when the thickened portion of the fabric or material passes between the pressure plate and the rolls 14 it is obvious that some means for accoinodating this undue thickness must be provided. It is for this reason that the lower rolls are mounted upon the bell cranks or levers in the manner described, any particular roll or rolls 14 which are subject to undue pressure from the pressure plate swinging laterally away therefrom, and the spring 23 yielding, but promptly moving the so displaced rolls back toward their former position when the lump or projection in the surface of the fabric has passed. Owing to the provision of a relatively considerable number of lower rolls, unless a hem be encountered the greater portion of the edge of the fabric being operated upon is normally held firmly against the pressure plate. By thus referring to the edge of the fabric it will be understood that when the machine is in operation and fabric is being delivered therethrough there will always be an edge of the latter at the nose 89, because the fabric, as fabric, will never pass this line,

practically all of the strands being pulled apart by the picks just after it passes this line. We may now properly consider the peculiar action of these picks.

Let us assume that the forward edge of a piece of carpethas just cleared the edge 39 of the pressure piece. Immediately thereafter a pick 5 upon the rapidly rotating picker drum is driven into and through the fabric and sharply pulls the strand with which it is in engagement forcibly upward and substantially at right angles to the line of travel of the fabric at such point. The weft strand (for example) so engaged is thereby pulled out of its woven engagement with the warp strands and tends to-follow the pick, sliding downwardly thereupon from the point of the pick toward the base thereof as the latter moves away from the edge 39. I

Excessive speed of the picker drum would, of course, tend to cause the threads to be broken or chopped into short lengths so that the speed of said drum, while rapid, must be proportioned to the strength of the strands of the weft, if those be the strands which are to be operatively engaged by the picks. Ordinarily the speed of the picker drum is so proportioned to the speed of the feed and pressure rolls that one pick 5 will directly engage the given weft strand, while the next will engage the same strand immediately thereafter and at a point relatively closely adjacent to the point first-engaged. Now while the first strand may be quite readily pulled away. from the warp, it is evident that the longer the exposed portion of the strands of the warp become, the more difiicult will it become to strip the weft therefrom. There is hence also an increasing tendency to disrupt the weft strands. This tendency, as has heretofore been intimated, is greatly increased if a given pick, in engaging the fabric engages it in such manner as to force two or more oppositely contoured and adjacent weft strands from the warp simultaneously. The bights in the warp and weft will then beso frictionally interlocked that a chunk of the fabric will be torn out bodily rather than the separate strands thereof. This results in forming what is known to the trade as rags. The preferred mode of operation of the picks upon the fabric, therefore, is to space the strands apart while they are being removed, and not to engage a portion of a second and rearwardly disposed strand which is behind the corresponding portion of the strand in advance, until the latter has been spaced away from said portion to the rear a sufficient distance to obviate this interlocking or wedging action of the threads. As a result of a long series cfexperiments, I have found it best to so proportion the speeds of the movins parts and to so position the picks upon the picker drum, that virtually but a single strand of the weft is removed at one time; this strand being swung outwardly and laterally with respect to the line of the weft by the sucessive engagements of the picks therewith, the strand ultimately traveling substantially in. the direction of travel of the picks. The picks have, therefore, been shown as disposed helically around the picker drum, but I am aware that certain other arrangements of picks may be employed to accomplish the same purpose, and hence do not desire to be limited to this helical disposition of said picks. The weft threads are removed smoothly from the warp and commonly without undue strains on either weft or warp.

I Considering next another feature which I regard as of considerable importance, and referring more particularly to Fig. 1, it will be observed that the blasts of air, for example, which emerge from the ducts 40 are so directed that they tend to aid the driving of the fabric or strands down toward the picks. This tends to reduce the formation of rags or chunks of undisintegrated fabric which is apt to occur when the teeth do not engage in the manner above described. These air jets or blasts also serve to substantially clean the product from dirt and from what is known to the trade as fly. This latter consists of short fragments of fiber, the presence of which is highly objectionable in journal box packing, or the like. The fly and dirt is blown away from the loosening strands of the fabric and falls or is directed downwardly,while the heavier and longer threads or strands'are drawn or thrown upwardly, or otherwise, to be separated therefrom by centrifugal force, if desired. It is to be understood, however, that while I contemplate freeing the strands from the drum and teeth by centrifugal action, I do not desire to be limited to this particular means for freeing said strands. I am aware that attempts have been made by others to separate dirt from fabric, portions of which are being pulled apart, by means of suction fans and the like, and I particularly desire to point out the difference between the use of such relatively feeble suction currents, and forcible blasts or jets of compressed air, for example. These blasts further, as has been previously stated, perform a plurality of functions which the suction currents hitherto used, do not.

In the claims the term strands is to be regarded as of sufficient scope to cover fibers, filaments, and the like; while fabric is to be construed to cover any fabricated material.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a strand separating machine, the coi'nbination of a revoluble structure having picks disposed therearound in staggered relationship and movable therewith in determined paths, means for gripping a section of strand containing material, means for driving a part at least of said gripping means for advancing said material toward said picks, the paths of movement of said picks intersecting a line transverse to the direction of movement of said material, said paths intersecting said line at spaced intervals across substantially the, entire width of said material, means for driving said revoluble structure at a speed so proportioned to that of said material advancing means that said picks may engage and remove substantially but one of the strands of said material at a time.

2. In a strand separating machine, the combination of a pressure piece having an edge, fee-ding mechanism for advancing strand containing material toward said edge, said edge extending transversely across the line of movement of said material, and means for picking the strands of said material apart at said edge, said means including a plurality of picks and mechanism for moving said picks successively into engagement with said material at spaced points along said edge, whereby a strand of the material will be engaged at a single point at a time at spaced intervals along its length and gradually pulled out of the fabric.

3. A strand-separating machine having an edge. feeding mechanism for advancing the strand -containing material toward said edge, and means for picking the strands of said material apart at said edge, said means including a plurality of picks and mechanism for moving said picks successively into engagement with said material at spaced points along said edge whereby a strand of the material will be engaged at a single point at a time at spaced intervals along its length and gradually pulled out of the fabric.

4. In a strand separating machine, the combination of a pressure piece having an edge, feeding mechanism for advancing strand containing material toward said edge, said edge extending transversely across he line of movement of said material, and means for picking the strands of said mate'- rial apart substantially at said edge, said means including a plurality of picks and mechanism for moving said picks successively into engagement with said material at spaced points along said edge, said picks having the points therein" inclined toward their respective paths of i'novement whereby a strand of the material will be engaged at a single point at a time at. spaced intervals along its length and gradually pulled out of the fabric.

:"1.' In a fabric raveling machine, the combination of a fixed pressure piece having an edge, a pressure roll adapted to drive strand containing material substantially into engagement with said edge, said roll being yieldingly mounted with respect to said pressure piece, a driving member the position of the axis of which is relatively fixed, connections between said roll and said memher, and means for picking the strands of said material apart after it passes said edge.

6. In a strand separating machine, the combination of a pair of feed rolls, pressure fingers adapted to smooth out the'material to be treated before it enters said rolls. one of said rolls being grooved for the reception of one of said fingers, pressure means adapted to coact with one of said rolls, and means for separating strands from said material after it has passed between said rolls.

7. In a strand separating machine, a pair of feed rolls, a spring finger positioned between said rolls, a pressure plate having a curved surface arranged in close proximity to one of said rolls, said spring finger being extended to maintain said material in contact with the peripheral surface of said last mentioned roll until the same is engaged between said roll and said pressure plate, and means for separating the strand from said material as it passes out of engagement with said roll and pressure plate.

In a strand separating machine, a pair of feed rolls, a recess in one of said rolls. a spring finger positioned between said rolls and lying in said recess. a piece having a curved surface arranged in close proximity to the other of said rolls, said spring finger being curved around said last named roll to maintain the strand containing material in contact with said last named feed roll until it is en a ed between the pressure piece and said feed roll, and means for yieldinglv mounting said feed rolls with respect to said pressure piece.

9. In a strand separating machine having an edge, a feeding mechanism for advancing the strand-containing material toward said ed e, means for picking the strands of material apart at said edge, said means including a plurality of picks and means for moving the same, the speed of said feeding mechanism and of said picks being proportioned to move said picks successively into engagement with a strand of material at spaced points along said edge.

10. In a strand separating machine, the combination of a revoluble structure having picks disposed therearound in staggered re- 7 lation and movable therewith in determined planes, means for advancing said material toward said picks, and means for driving said revoluble structure at a speed so pro- 10 portioned to said material advancing means ture, in the presence of two witnesses.

ELBERT R. TILLINGHAST.

Witnesses:

CHAS. P. HIDDEN, NM. M. STOCKBRIDGE.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

